The Dow Chemical
Company, USA and Union Carbide Corporation, (UCC) USA merged
on February 6th 2001. UCC, responsible for the worst industrial disaster ever in Bhopal in
1984 is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow. UCC hopes that this vanishing act will
improve it's image and possibly help in evading criminal accountability for the disaster.

It is over 16 years since the disaster in Bhopal. Yet
the corporation and officials guilty of causing death and unending suffering in Bhopal
remain free and unscathed. For the last nine years, the Corporation and its former
chairman, Warren Anderson, have been absconding justice in the Indian courts. Survivors in
Bhopal and their supporters worldwide have been opposing the merger ever since it was
announced. As part of the Campaign for Justice in Bhopal they now demand that Dow accept
the liabilities of UCC.

Holding Union Carbide and Dow accountable is critical for the health
and safety of workers and communities all over the world. At a time when the Indian
chemical industry is growing five times faster than the global chemical industry

, only justice in Bhopal can prevent its
recurrence. Let us defeat these multinationals machinations for evading justice.
Ensure that the guilty of Bhopal do not go unpunished. Together, let us hold The Dow
Chemical Company accountable for Union Carbides crimes.

Now survivors in Bhopal are demanding that Dow:

Accept the pending liabilities of UCC related to death and injury, and make adequate
paymments for longterm medical care, research and monitoring of victims.

Release the medical information on leaked gases withheld by UCC, as a "trade
secret".

Pay for the economic rehabilitation of families impoverished as a result of the
disaster.

Clean up the contaminated soil and groundwater in and around the Bhopal factory.

OPPOSITION TO THE MERGER

Survivors organisations in Bhopal wrote to Dow in August 1999 as soon as the merger plans were
announced. Dow didn't reply and it was soon evident that they wanted nothing to do with
the disaster. "That was a different company", they said. Opposition to the merger began soon after.

Attempts at blocking the merger have included filing complaints before
the U.S Securities & Exchange Commission and the Attorney Generals office in New
York. These authorities were informed that in its merger application, Dow had withheld
information regarding UCCs pending liabilities. Members of the green caucus also
moved a resolution against the merger in the European
parliament. Demonstrations were held at Dow's
annual shareholders meeting at their headquarters in Midland, Michigan, USA.

A class action suit
against The Dow Chemical Company and 17 officials, including their chairman, is currently
pending before the U.S Federal Court. The suit, filed on behalf of Dow shareholders,
charges company management of potentially causing financial harm through merging with UCC.
Plaintiffs have alleged that Dow management is deliberately withholding information
relating to UCCs liabilities in Bhopal.

In spite of our efforts, Dow and Carbide have been successful in
completing their merger. Needless to say, much of this success can be attributed to the
shameful manner in which U.S and European regulatory authorities have overlooked The Dow
Chemical Company and Union Carbide's suppression of the facts.